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Tesla and Elon Musk won’t budge on what Cybertruck orderers want to hear
Yesterday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk teased the Cybertruck twice with two new images of a production candidate version of the all-electric pickup. Sightings of the Cybertruck have been plentiful through the past few months, but the real details that orderers want to hear are still being kept a mystery as the company and its CEO won’t budge on what they will be.
The Cybertruck is perhaps Tesla’s most anticipated vehicle in history. It was unveiled four years ago, and after delays and years of holdups in terms of development and production, Tesla is finally ready to begin deliveries by the end of the year.
However, the nearly two million people who have placed orders for the Cybertruck are still unsure what they will pay, what powertrain their truck will have, and when they will get it.
Tesla Cybertruck production candidate revealed by CEO Elon Musk
James Locke, a longtime Tesla owner, asked Musk yesterday when the company would release this information. “Enough with the hype, let’s get down to business,” he said, requesting any information on vehicle specs, pricing, and the delivery date event.
But Musk was unwilling to give that information, even still, as the Cybertruck nears initial deliveries.
“When we are ready to do so, we will,” he said. “While I think it is our best product ever, it is an extremely difficult product to build. We are in uncharted territory because it is not like anything else.”
Musk hammered this point home in an email to Tesla employees yesterday, which reminded production line associates, engineers, and others that their mistakes would be magnified due to the “bright metal” and “mostly straight edges” the Cybertruck design has.
“If LEGO and soda cans, which are very low cost, can do this, so can we,” Musk said.
In the four years since the Cybertruck was unveiled, a lot has changed, including the prices of vehicles. Mid-size pickups have increased from $33,262 in March 2019 to $41,176 in the same month in 2023. Full-sized trucks have swelled from $48,653 to $62,825, according to data from Kelley Blue Book.
Pricing is likely still up in the air, but Musk has hinted toward what potential Cybertruck pricing could be in the past. However, powertrains, at least for early vehicle builds, are more than likely finalized, and those who put a $100 deposit on the Cybertruck early on chose a specific configuration.
This option was eliminated a couple of years ago. Instead, Tesla simply allowed people to put money down, but there were no options for configurations.
We are getting down to the nitty-gritty with the Cybertruck, and with deliveries likely closing in within the next few months, people are still confused over what vehicle they will get and how much they will pay. If Tesla’s plan is to reveal this information at the delivery date, doesn’t that seem kind of late?
Nevertheless, the orderers of the Cybertruck are more than likely willing to give their money regardless, as they have been waiting patiently for the truck to be built and released for years.
Last night, we found out the Cybertruck Delivery Event would be held in Texas, and not Fremont, California, as batches of the pickup had been spotted at Tesla’s Northern California production facility.
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Tesla confirms that it finally solved its 4680 battery’s dry cathode process
The suggests the company has finally resolved one of the most challenging aspects of its next-generation battery cells.
Tesla has confirmed that it is now producing both the anode and cathode of its 4680 battery cells using a dry-electrode process, marking a key breakthrough in a technology the company has been working to industrialize for years.
The update, disclosed in Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 update letter, suggests the company has finally resolved one of the most challenging aspects of its next-generation battery cells.
Dry cathode 4680 cells
In its Q4 and FY 2025 update letter, Tesla stated that it is now producing 4680 cells whose anode and cathode were produced during the dry electrode process. The confirmation addresses long-standing questions around whether Tesla could bring its dry cathode process into sustained production.
The disclosure was highlighted on X by Bonne Eggleston, Tesla’s Vice President of 4680 batteries, who wrote that “both electrodes use our dry process.”
Tesla first introduced the dry-electrode concept during its Battery Day presentation in 2020, pitching it as a way to simplify production, reduce factory footprint, lower costs, and improve energy density. While Tesla has been producing 4680 cells for some time, the company had previously relied on more conventional approaches for parts of the process, leading to questions about whether a full dry-electrode process could even be achieved.
4680 packs for Model Y
Tesla also revealed in its Q4 and FY 2025 Update Letter that it has begun producing battery packs for certain Model Y vehicles using its in-house 4680 cells. As per Tesla:
“We have begun to produce battery packs for certain Model Ys with our 4680 cells, unlocking an additional vector of supply to help navigate increasingly complex supply chain challenges caused by trade barriers and tariff risks.”
The timing is notable. With Tesla preparing to wind down Model S and Model X production, the Model Y and Model 3 are expected to account for an even larger share of the company’s vehicle output. Ensuring that the Model Y can be equipped with domestically produced 4680 battery packs gives Tesla greater flexibility to maintain production volumes in the United States, even as global battery supply chains face increasing complexity.
Elon Musk
Tesla Giga Texas to feature massive Optimus V4 production line
This suggests that while the first Optimus line will be set up in the Fremont Factory, the real ramp of Optimus’ production will happen in Giga Texas.
Tesla will build Optimus 4 in Giga Texas, and its production line will be massive. This was, at least, as per recent comments by CEO Elon Musk on social media platform X.
Optimus 4 production
In response to a post on X which expressed surprise that Optimus will be produced in California, Musk stated that “Optimus 4 will be built in Texas at much higher volume.” This suggests that while the first Optimus line will be set up in the Fremont Factory, and while the line itself will be capable of producing 1 million humanoid robots per year, the real ramp of Optimus’ production will happen in Giga Texas.
This was not the first time that Elon Musk shared his plans for Optimus’ production at Gigafactory Texas. During the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, he stated that Giga Texas’ Optimus line will produce 10 million units of the humanoid robot per year. He did not, however, state at the time that Giga Texas would produce Optimus V4.
“So we’re going to launch on the fastest production ramp of any product of any large complex manufactured product ever, starting with building a one-million-unit production line in Fremont. And that’s Line one. And then a ten million unit per year production line here,” Musk stated.
How big Optimus could become
During Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 earnings call, Musk offered additional context on the potential of Optimus. While he stated that the ramp of Optimus’ production will be deliberate at first, the humanoid robot itself will have the potential to change the world.
“Optimus really will be a general-purpose robot that can learn by observing human behavior. You can demonstrate a task or verbally describe a task or show it a task. Even show it a video, it will be able to do that task. It’s going to be a very capable robot. I think long-term Optimus will have a very significant impact on the US GDP.
“It will actually move the needle on US GDP significantly. In conclusion, there are still many who doubt our ambitions for creating amazing abundance. We are confident it can be done, and we are making the right moves technologically to ensure that it does. Tesla, Inc. has never been a company to shy away from solving the hardest problems,” Musk stated.
Elon Musk
Rumored SpaceX-xAI merger gets apparent confirmation from Elon Musk
The comment follows reports that the rocket maker is weighing a transaction that could further consolidate Musk’s space and AI ventures.
Elon Musk appeared to confirm reports that SpaceX is exploring a potential merger with artificial intelligence startup xAI by responding positively to a post about the reported transaction on X.
Musk’s comment follows reports that the rocket maker is weighing a transaction that could further consolidate his space and AI ventures.
SpaceX xAI merger
As per a recent Reuters report, SpaceX has held discussions about merging with xAI, with the proposed structure potentially involving an exchange of xAI shares for SpaceX stock. The value, structure, and timing of any deal have not been finalized, and no agreement has been signed.
Musk appeared to acknowledge the report in a brief reply on X, responding “Yeah” to a post that described SpaceX as a future “Dyson Swarm company.” The comment references a Dyson Swarm, a sci-fi megastructure concept that consists of a massive network of satellites or structures that orbit a celestial body to harness its energy.
Reuters noted that two entities were formed in Nevada on January 21 to facilitate a potential transaction for the possible SpaceX-xAI merger. The discussions remain ongoing, and a transaction is not yet guaranteed, however.
AI and space infrastructure
A potential merger with xAI would align with Musk’s stated strategy of integrating artificial intelligence development with space-based systems. Musk has previously said that space-based infrastructure could support large-scale computing by leveraging continuous solar energy, an approach he has framed as economically scalable over time.
xAI already has operational ties to Musk’s other companies. The startup develops Grok, a large language model that holds a U.S. Department of Defense contract valued at up to $200 million. AI also plays a central role in SpaceX’s Starlink and Starshield satellite programs, which rely on automation and machine learning for network management and national security applications.
Musk has previously consolidated his businesses through share-based transactions, including Tesla’s acquisition of SolarCity in 2016 and xAI’s acquisition of X last year. Bloomberg has also claimed that Musk is considering a merger between SpaceX and Tesla in the future.
Tesla confirms that it finally solved its 4680 battery’s dry cathode process
Tesla Giga Texas to feature massive Optimus V4 production line
